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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth expresses grave concern at State of Emergency in Pakistan

3 November 2007

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has expressed grave concern at the declaration by General Pervez Musharraf of a State of Emergency in Pakistan.

“The suspension of the country’s Constitution days before the Supreme Court was due to pass judgement on General Musharraf’s re-election as President is a matter of deep concern to the Commonwealth. It is a step in the wrong direction and a serious setback to democracy,” Mr McKinnon said.

The Secretary-General said the challenges facing Pakistan at present were widely acknowledged, but suspending constitutional rule and taking arbitrary action against the judiciary were not the answer. “It is essential that the Constitution and the rule of law be restored and the judiciary respected. The Commonwealth also expects that the elections due to be held in January 2008 will not be postponed and that President Musharraf will abide by his undertaking to relinquish his military office before taking the oath as President for a second term.

Mr McKinnon said that he would consult with the Chairman of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group about the latest developments. The Group has been regularly engaged with the situation in Pakistan.

Pakistan will also be on the agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda later this month.

Note to Editors

Pakistan was suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth in October 1999 and restored to full membership in May 2004. However, it has since remained on the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which was established by Commonwealth Heads of Government in November 1995 to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values.

The Group is convened by the Secretary-General and is composed of the Foreign Ministers of nine Commonwealth member countries. It currently includes the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and United Republic of Tanzania.

At their meeting in Malta in 2005, Commonwealth Heads of Government noted that the holding by the same person of the offices of Head of State and Chief of Army Staff is incompatible with the basic principles of democracy and the spirit of the Harare Commonwealth principles. They reiterated that until the two offices are separated, the process of democratisation in Pakistan will not be irreversible.

CMAG will report to Heads of Government on Pakistan at the forthcoming CHOGM in Uganda (23-25 November 2007) and Commonwealth leaders are expected to address the issue thereafter.

For Media inquiries please contact Manoah Esipisu, Deputy Spokesperson at +447894462021 and m.esipisu@commonwealth.int


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